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Mediacom gets $224,369 in State grants for broadband upgrades in Harris Township

Pleased to share a press release from Mediacom on their Border to Border grant project in Itasca County…

State grant-makers select Mediacom for projects to expand broadband network in part of Harris Township

GRAND RAPIDS, MN – February 3, 2017 — Residents in portions of Harris Township can look forward to gaining robust broadband service with speeds of up to 200 megabits-per-second (Mbps) – twice as fast as Minnesota’s 2026 state speed goal.

Local officials recently learned that Mediacom Communications was selected to receive a Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband grant to extend its broadband network to additional areas of Harris Township. The project will construct more than 17 miles of fiber and coaxial cable to bring high-speed broadband service to at least 268 unserved homes and businesses.

The new network will be built by the summer of 2018, giving homes and businesses access to the same high-speed internet and advanced digital video services Mediacom delivers in Grand Rapids and eight other Itasca County communities.

The state broadband grant of $224,369 accounts for 30-percent of the project costs, and Mediacom will provide the remaining investment of $550,000. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who receive state grants are required to deliver service with speeds that will reach Minnesota’s 2026 state speed goal of 100 Mbps download by 20 Mbps upload.

Currently, Mediacom broadband subscribers in Minnesota and elsewhere can connect to even faster internet service, 200 Mbps download by 20 Mbps upload. In addition, speeds 10-times faster than Minnesota’s goal will soon be a reality, according to Jason Janesich, Mediacom’s senior operations manager for northern Minnesota.

“Our Mediacom CEO announced a plan 10 months ago to significantly boost capital investments over three years to enhance broadband services and bring 1-Gigabit speeds to all areas along Mediacom’s network,” Janesich said. “As part of a relentless effort to bring advanced services to non-urban areas, our customers experienced a big speed boost a month ago when our entry-level internet speeds jumped from 15 Mbps to 60 Mbps, and faster speed tiers sped up as well.”

Janesich said that Mediacom recently upgraded its entire national network to make it 1-Gig capable, and explained that the investment in new-generation broadband technology will bring 1-Gig speeds to all service areas in Minnesota and other states in 2017 and 2018.

Mediacom’s capital investments include construction to expand the company’s existing fiber-optic network and connect homes and businesses that lack access to advanced broadband services. On behalf of his company, Janesich expressed gratitude to state officials at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) for selecting Mediacom as a grant recipient for broadband expansion projects in Harris Township, and also in Fayal Township in St. Louis County.

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About Ann Treacy

I have a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. I have been interested or involved in providing access to information through the Internet since 1994, when I worked for Minnesota’s first Internet service provider. I am pleased to be a part of the Blandin on Broadband Team. I also work with MN Coalition on Government Information, Minnesota Rural Partners, and the American Society for Information Science and Technology.